Almond Flour Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
My almond flour cookies are thick, soft, chewy, naturally grain-free, and refined sugar-free. They require no chill time and are ready in 15 minutes.
Love almond flour recipes? Try my almond flour pancakes, almond flour banana bread, almond flour cake, and almond flour muffins next.
Using grain-free flour in cookies can be very tricky. While traditional white flour or wholewheat flour are safe choices, others can be pretty hit-and-miss. My simple almond flour cookie recipe is a winner, and it tastes like any good cookie!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- 5 Ingredients. And you don’t need any eggs or milk to make them.
- Perfect texture. They are thick and chewy, have a slightly soft center, and have gorgeous crisp edges.
- Quick and easy. There is no chilling required, and they take less than 15 minutes to make.
- Diet-friendly. These cookies are vegan, gluten-free, AND paleo!
Ingredients needed
- Almond flour. You must use blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal tends to yield heavy and dense cookies and will be darker in color.
- Baking powder. Gives the cookies some rise.
- Butter. Either butter or vegan butter can be used. You must measure your butter in a melted/softened state. If you use vegan butter, be sure to use one from a stick, as other kinds contain added water that can affect the texture of the cookies.
- Maple syrup. Gives the cookies the necessary sweetness without being overpowering. You can also use agave nectar or honey (although I find honey to be a little too overpowering, so be wary!).
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good cookie recipe!
- Chocolate chips. Optional but highly recommended! I like to use a mix of semi-sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips. If you opt for vegan butter, use vegan chocolate chips.
How to make cookies with almond flour
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Mix together the almond flour and baking powder. Next, add the softened butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Gently fold through your chocolate chips, reserving a few to top the cookies with.
Step 2- Shape. Form 6 large or 12 small balls of dough and place on a lined baking sheet. Press each ball of cookie dough into a thick cookie shape.
Step 3- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the pan.
Arman’s recipe tips
- While your butter must be melted/softened, it should also be at room temperature. Using warm butter will start the melting process of the chocolate chips, resulting in marbled cookies and burnt edges.
- These cookies do not spread, so shape them the size and thickness that you want.
- Do not overbake the cookies, as they continue to cook as they cool down.
- Be sure to check on the cookies at the 12-minute mark and continue to monitor them until done. They can go from golden to dark brown in a short amount of time.
- Use another syrup. Some readers have tried replacing the maple syrup with sugar-free syrup. I haven’t tried this myself, so I cannot vouch for its outcome.
- Shape appropriately. I made 6 large cookies (as pictured). For smaller cookies, make 12 balls of dough.
Flavor variations
- Almond flour chocolate chip cookies. As pictured! Fold through 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chip of choice into the dough.
- Raisin cookies. Add 1/2 cup raisins to the dough, and reserve a few to top the cookies with. Soak the raisins for 30 minutes prior, for them to plump up and be extra juicy.
- Trail mix cookies. Add up to 1/2 cup of your favorite mix-ins, including seeds, nuts, candy bits, and more!
- Double chocolate cookies. Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the batter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Storage instructions
To store: Place the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Store them in the refrigerator if you’d like them to keep longer.
To freeze: Put your cookies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
While you technically can use almond meal, your cookies won’t be creamy in color but flecked with brown and black spots. They also will be slightly more crumbly.
Unfortunately, no. Freezing this particular cookie dough will yield crumbly and gritty remnants once thawed, and the cookies will be brittle and grassy once baked. My recipe is super simple, though, so you don’t need to fret about prepping this in advance.
More almond flour desserts
- Almond flour brownies
- Almond flour oatmeal cookies
- Almond flour banana muffins
- Almond flour banana bread
- Almond flour waffles
- Almond flour chocolate cake
- Almond flour cupcakes
Almond Flour Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour blanched almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup butter or vegan butter, softened
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your almond flour and baking powder and mix well. Add your melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold through your chocolate chips.
- Form 6 large or 12 small balls of dough. Place on the lined sheet, and press down into a cookie shape. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just beginning to go golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published October 2020, updated and republished November 2024
Hi Armen!
These look really lovely in your pics. My grandbaby adores jam thumbprint cookies and since I have 3 bags of Bob’s Redmill Organic superfine almond flour, I have been checking online for almond flour cookies. Would this recipe work for that?
Hi Shika- Thank you for your kind words. If you leave out the chocolate chips and press down the center of each cookie, I can see it working fine with some jam in the center. If the dough seems a little thin, add a drop of milk.
Absolutely delicious and easy to make!! This satisified my cravings for chocolate chip cookies honestly and the smell of the maple once the cookies came out of the oven were divine!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Aw, I love to hear that Natali! Thanks for taking so much for taking the time to leave a lovely review and rating!
So easy, simple ingredient list, and taste absolutely delicious!! 5 stars for sure! ( I did a dozen of small cookies and flattened a little bit, cooked about 14 minutes total because I have a stupid oven, but they came out amazing!
Aw, thanks so much Danielle! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies 🙂 Thanks for the lovely review and rating.
I made these biscuits and they turned out just lovely, albeit a little crumbly. I watched your video and noticed you added an egg. This isn’t in the list of ingredients or method. Are you supposed to an an egg? I will be making them again and maybe will try adding an egg next time to see if they are a little less crumbly. Very yummy all the same. 🙂
Hi Tania, thanks so much for the kind words. So glad you enjoyed the cookies. You can definitely try this version of the recipe with an egg! Please let us know how you go!
I get all the great reviews- these were so good. Best GF cookie I’ve had.
Thanks for the feedback and review, Sophie!
I made these on a whim, and they turned out so, so good. I was always curious about using almond flour, and this recipe converted me to a big fan!
Thanks for the lovely feedback and review, Jessica- i’m so glad you gave almond flour a chance hehe!
For a 5-ingredient cookie these are pretty good. Not sweet. A little dry and grainy due to the almond flour. Next time I will use super fine almond flour. Overall a good cookie for those last minute gatherings where you want to bring something. I wonder if one could substitute honey for the maple syrup?
Hi Brian- thanks for the lovely comment and review. I do recommed using superfine almond flour (blanched almond flour), as it doesn’t leave the cookies gritty and leaves them more buttery. Yes, you can- that’s quite an equal swap. Just note that honey will be a little more overpowering that maple syrup, so as long as you like honey, you’ll be fine 🙂
Health coach husband approved ✅ he said 10/10.
they looked like chips ahoy dupe (my almond flour was mealy) but healthy and delicious. I added a splash of almond extract. Perfection!
Oh gosh, chips ahoy!!!!! Mica, is it bad that I’m craving one of those big blue packages now? I’m glad your husband approved and I hope you managed to have a few too 🙂
Outstanding! We are new to no-flour cooking and I’ve had a few fails. These came out perfectly! I will be making these again!
Aw, thank you so much Jeannine- I’m so glad you enjoyed my almond flour cookies. Glad to hear it will be a regular for you!
Arman, looks yummy’ but can I substitute something for the butter as I’m trying to cut down on fat? Banana purée perhaps?
Hi Claure- I’d be super careful with this recipe replacing the butter with something non-fat. It just won’t have the same texture. If you are watching your calories or fat, I’d suggest my low calorie cookies.
Excellent cookies! I added dried cherries instead of chocolate chips and rolled them in crushed nuts. My kind of baking with minimal ingredients.
Thank you!
Dried cherries? Yum!!! Holly, those would have been such a delicious addition, and rolling them in crushed nuts sounds fab. Glad you enjoyed these cookies 🙂
Just what I was looking for , quick easy and tasty!!
Hi Lyn- that’s what I like to hear! Thanks for making my almond flour cookies 🙂
This is the second time I made this recipe. This time my daughter helped me out! We made them both times for a friend’s daughter who is unable to eat regular cookies, so this recipe is perfect as it calls for almond flour, which is the type of flour she can eat. So glad that the recipe is easy to follow as I am not the best baker. Thank you again for sharing the recipe!
Aw, thank you for taking the time to leave a lovely comment and star rating, Marianne- I’m so glad this was easy to follow and that your friend’s daughter has a cookie she can enjoy. Thank you so much!